Bottom bar for window-shades



(No Model.)

. M. A. HIGGINS.

' BOTTOM BAR FOR WINDOW SHADES. No. 388,041. I Patented Aug. 21, 1888.

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UNITED STATES PATENT anion,

MASON A. HIGGINS, OF SUGAR GROVE, ILLINOIS.

BOTTOM BAR FOR WlNDOW-SHADES.

$PECIPICA'IION forming part of Letters Patent No. 388,0 dated August 21,1888.

Application filed December 22, 1887. Serial No. 258,682. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MAsON A. HIGGINS, of Sugar Grove, in the county ofKane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Bottom Bars for Window- Shades or for the Free or LooseEnd of Ouriain-Bars; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersof reference'marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My improvement relates to the bottom rod or bar and its construction andto its means for applying the same to the loose end of a flexible shadeor curtain, the improvements affording not only a ready connection ofthe parts and facility for easy adjustment to insure that the bottom barand the shade may hang properly, but also their ready removal, besidesallowing a cheapnem of construction.

In the drawings, Figure 1 illustrates enough of a shade to illustrate myinvention as applied thereto; Fig. 2, one of its interior locking orfastening bars; Fig. 3, a crosssection.

The same letters refer to similar parts in all the figures, and, as willbe seen in them all, the shade, cloth, or material is loosely folded,lapped, or doubled around a triangular or annular rod and then placedloosely in a longitudinal dovetailed groove of very much largercross-section than the rod and made in the bottom or loose bar.

I form from a piece of sheet metal a bar consisting of a tube or hollowcylinder, 1), angular or triangular in its crosssection, and also aslender rod, 0, angular in crossseotion, but much smaller than tube 1)in its cross-section. Indeed, it need not be even a quarter of its size.This tube has a narrow outlet, mouth, or slit, as shown, and when therod shall have been inserted lengthwise in this tube it cannot be pulledout of it except by pulling it lengthwise, because the slit or mouth issmaller than the diameter of the rod. The rod 0 is first laid loosely ina doubled or folded end of the cloth, and the bar is then easily andloosely slipped over it endwise, and thus completes the attachment. Thisinsures a firm hold without the need of any other appliances for thatpurpose,all need of tacks, screws, sewing, adhesive material, or othermeans heretofore employed in this branch of art being dispensed with forholding the cloth to its bar, the cloth by my invention holding andfastening itself by reason of being lapped or folded,.

and by then sliding the rod to place in its case or holder. It will nowbe self-evident that in the act of folding or lapping the cloth on therod its lap or fold may readily be so controlled as to insure that thebar shall hang perfectly true and horizontal, or that it may beinstantly adjusted, if need be, to cause it to hang true by simplyaltering such lap or fold, and which may be done by slipping off thelooselyheld bar, and this can be done without chafing, tearing, orpuekering the cloth, because the groove is so large relatively to therod.

If desired, a part or the whole of the tubular bar I) may be coveredwith a sheet-metal tube or tubes, A, having a longitudinal slit thereinto permit the cloth to extend through the same.

It will be understood that the angular rod and the cloth are not held bytheir filling and tightly fitting in the groove, but that any pull onthe bar or the more weight of the bar, or both, will pull and wedge thecloth between the angular edges of this angular bar and the narrowingwalls or sides of the tube b. Thus the stronger the pull the tighter isthe cloth held, whereas, if the rod were round instead of angular, thestronger the pull the more it would roll the rod and set the cloth free.

The rod 0 need not be a continuous one all across the shade, but may bein two or more short pieces, its angular character in conjunction withits small cross-section relatively to that of the groove 1) and itsmanner of wedging or clamping the cloth at its two opposite sides whenpulled allowing of such short pieces of rod. The finishing tube or tubesA maybe slipped on or off the tube 11 at will. The smallness of the rodas compared with the groove which receives it adapts my invention forany and every thickness of fabric used for a shade, whereas if the rodwere a tight fit only one thickness could be used with it, and even thenthere would be danger of damaging the fabric when inserting or removingthe rod.

I disclaim any construction in which is used a round rod, atight-fitting rod, or a rod having a side channel to receive abinding-wire for holding the fabric, or any in which the fabric ispermanently fastened by stitching or otherwise to the key-rod and whichnecessarily precludes adjustment or alignment of the fabric.

The ordinary ring-bar, ring, or any other kind of pull may be attachedto the bar either at its center or at each side of its center, atoption, and the ends of the bar may be embellished by an acorn or otherornament-either wood or metalby way of finish.

As myimproved fastening devices are capable of being readily applied toor removed from the shade by any inexperienced person, and without anytools or extraneous appliances, it will be seen that they afford a valu-MASON A HIGGINS.

Witnesses:

GRANT BAILEY, J. O. SHEPARDsoN.

